Prayagraj: Eight police constables, including a woman, have been booked for allegedly securing jobs in the 2023 direct police recruitment drive by submitting forged documents claiming they were dependants of freedom fighters. The incident took place in Pratapgarh district.
Training and Posting Details
All eight recruits underwent training at a recruit training camp (RTC) in Pratapgarh approximately three months ago. They are currently posted at various police stations within the district.
FIR Registration
An FIR was registered this month at Kotwali City police station in Pratapgarh against the accused. The complaint was lodged by Sub-Inspector Rajesh Kumar Yadav, who previously served as the in charge of the RTC.
The accused have been identified as Abhishek Pandey, Shubham Dubey, Ravi Shankar, Pradeep Kumar, Ajay Kumar, Khushboo Gupta, Akash Mishra, and Diyanshu Yadav. All of them are residents of Mirzapur.
Nature of Fraud
According to the complainant, during the 2023 direct recruitment drive for civil police under JTC/RTC, these candidates fraudulently availed benefits under the freedom fighter dependant quota by submitting forged documents.
Yadav stated that a complaint against Shubham Dubey, a resident of Jasa Badhaura in Mirzapur, was initially filed in Banda by a lawyer. Banda Police conducted a preliminary probe and, since the verification of certificates and appointment documents was linked to Pratapgarh, forwarded its report to authorities there for further action.
Inquiry and Findings
Following this, the Superintendent of Police, Pratapgarh, directed the circle officer (lines) to conduct an inquiry. During the probe, it was found that, apart from Dubey, seven other recruits selected under the freedom fighter quota were also posted in Pratapgarh.
The inquiry revealed that none of the accused possessed valid documents establishing their status as dependants of freedom fighters. Instead, they allegedly used forged documents to secure their recruitment.
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About the Author: Kapil Dixit writes on crime, traffic, health, administration, politics and off beat stories from Prayagraj. He has extensively covered Maha Kumbh, Ardh Kumbh and Magh Melas and state assembly as well as parliamentary polls from 2002 to 2025. His hobbies include reading, writing and meeting people with diverse interests.
